Polygon gets an exclusive D&D monster to celebrate the revised edition of The Monsters Know What They're Doing
Being a Dungeon Master (DM) for Dungeons & Dragons can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it comes with its challenges. Crafting a compelling story, creating an immersive world, preparing for a session, and keeping track of things are all skills that a good DM has to develop, but running monsters in a way that makes for compelling combat experiences remains a challenge for even the best among us.
Preparing a combat encounter that challenges the party without being too easy or turning into a slog is a hard thing to do. Unfortunately, the guidelines in recent editions of the official D&D books don't help much. Luckily, indie game designers and experts like ENnie Award-winning Keith Ammann have been helping DMs figure out the perfect foul beast to throw at their players for maximum fun and reasonable carnage.
Ammann’s essential book The Monsters Know What They’re Doing has helped countless DMs prepare combat encounters more effectively by helping DMs understand their monster’s approach to combat and develop battle plans before the session begins. An expanded and revised edition, Remonstered!, is coming out on Oct. 6.
Ammann’s previous book, Making Enemies , is an excellent guide for every DM who wants to design their own monsters. Ammann’s step-by-step process is detailed and insightful. It teaches how to think about a monster’s role in your world and how to use these foes not just to challenge your players, but also to make their characters shine.
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